"If You Brush Your Teeth Carelessly, It Could Be Serious"... Poor Dental Health Increases 'Cancer' Risk

If There Is a Deficit, It Is 12% Higher Than When There Is None

A study has found that poor oral health severe enough to cause tooth loss can negatively affect the occurrence of various cancers.

Professor Eun-Joo Kang's research team from the Department of Hematology and Oncology at Korea University Guro Hospital tracked 200,170 adults who underwent both oral and general health examinations between 2002 and 2003 and had no history of cancer diagnosis until 2015. They observed a correlation between oral health and cancer incidence, the team announced on the 13th. The study results were recently published in the international journal related to oral health, BMC Oral Health.

[Image source=Pixabay]

Previous studies both domestically and internationally have shown that oral health status is related to chronic diseases, including cancer. Indicators of oral health include missing teeth, dental caries, and periodontitis, which result from prolonged inflammatory responses among various bacteria, gums, and tooth tissues.

In this study, 15,506 individuals, accounting for 7.75% of the total analyzed subjects, were newly diagnosed with cancer during the follow-up period. The research team compared the prevalence of missing teeth between these individuals and a control group. The results showed that the group diagnosed with cancer had a missing teeth rate of 26.27%, higher than the 22.5% observed in the group without cancer diagnosis.

Based on these analyses, the research team estimated that adults with missing teeth have a 12% higher overall risk of developing cancer compared to those without missing teeth. The risk by specific cancer types was recorded as follows: esophageal cancer 40%, head and neck cancer 32%, bile duct cancer 28%, lung and pancreatic cancer 27%, and liver cancer 24%.

The team explained that the presence of missing teeth indicates the most severe state of chronic inflammatory response in the oral cavity, and that the locations of the cancers with increased risk are mostly areas where oral bacteria can migrate and directly contact. The inflammatory response induced by oral microorganisms directly influences and ultimately promotes cancer development.

In particular, for the bile duct system and pancreas, the research team analyzed that harmful oral bacteria can be transmitted when swallowing saliva, potentially contributing to cancer development in these areas.

Professor Eun-Joo Kang stated, "Inflammation in the oral cavity caused by bacterial infection promotes systemic inflammation and the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, which can consequently increase the risk of cancer development. If oral health is poor enough to cause missing teeth, the risk of developing overall cancer as well as certain types of cancer increases, so it is necessary to pay close attention to dental health regularly."

Meanwhile, recent studies have also shown that deterioration of dental health in the elderly is associated with atrophy of the hippocampus, the brain's memory center.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.